Federal officials confirmed that Southern California fourth-graders who have been detained by immigration officers will be deported.
9-year-old Martir Garcia Lara is a student at Torrance Elementary School. On May 29th, he attended an immigration hearing in downtown Los Angeles along with his father, Martir Garcia-Banegas, 50.
However, instead of receiving updates on the immigration situation, the boy and his father were detained by US immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and separated from each other.
The next day they were transferred to immigration facilities in Texas, with plans to expel them to Honduras.
“He’s alone and can’t go home,” said Jasmine King, PTA president at Torrance Elementary School.
An ICE official told KTLA that the boy and his father illegally entered the US on July 10, 2021
Martir Garcia Lara can be seen in photos from Torrance Elementary School. A letter sent by a PTA leader to parents at Torrance Elementary School about the detention of Martirulala and his father. (Jasmine King) Torrance Elementary School in Torrance, California. (KTLA) Torrance Elementary School, Torrance, California. (KTLA)
On September 1, 2022, an immigration judge ordered the pair to return to Honduras. Garcia-Banegas appealed the decision to the Immigration Appeals Committee, but the appeal was rejected on August 11, 2023.
However, the boy and his father did not leave the country as ordered, and they were taken into custody during an immigration hearing in downtown L.A., Ice said.
“They have exhausted their legitimate procedures and there are no legal remedies left to pursue,” federal officials said in a statement Thursday.
The news of the juvenile detention infuriated teachers and community members. King said the nine-year-old was a student at Torrance Elementary School from first grade.
The Torrance Elementary School teacher contacted King and the other PTAs and asked for help in one way or another to release the boy and his father and return him to Southern California.
“All we know is that Martyle is his fourth grade, he has no father, no parents, and he is probably in a place he doesn’t know, so he can only imagine what he feels,” King said.
PTA members and related residents asked them to reach out to federal, state and local leaders and intervene, encouraging other parents and community members to support them in some way.
King said she and other PTA members were ready to help the boy and his father with legal or financial aid if they needed it.
Officials with the Torrance Unified School District said they knew about Lala’s detention. They issued a statement.
“This event was not coordinated and did not occur on the school grounds, and when we learned about it, we actively worked with our families to address the issue.
We are deeply interested in our students and receive many inquiries about what individuals can do to support our students and their families. Because this is a federal issue, we encourage those who have contacted us to share your feedback with elected officials in our area, including Congressional representatives Maxine Waters and Ted Liu, and U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff.
Every child in our district has an education and safety right and we will continue to protect those rights. We will also provide updates if any further information is made public. ”
The father and son are being held at a South Texas facility called the Family Housing Center, according to the Los Angeles Times. The property was inactive by August 2024, but operations resumed earlier this year.
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